The Particle か II: ～ないか
Just as the particle か is used in affirmative questions, it is also used in negative questions. More broadly, we are going to be investigating in this lesson on how to interpret ～ないか and ～ませんか in various contexts.
Creating questions with “negative” elements is not too dissimilar between English and Japanese, but how questions are responded to can be quite different. Won’t you continue reading to find out more?
Intonation Note: English dialects vary in intonation when forming questions, but Japanese questions generally have a rising intonation towards the end of the sentence.
～ない（の）ですか？
When a speaker is rather certain but asks the question anyway in the negative with ～ないですか, the resultant question translates to “is it not…?” Meaning, although a negative construction is being used, the speaker is still trying to gain positive reaffirmation.
If, however, more doubt or general concern is placed on the question, the particle の is added to get ～ないのですか or ～ないんですか, the latter being more common in the spoken language. These questions seek to confirm whether the negative status is true or not.
1. 彼女は忙しくないのですか。
Is she not busy?
2. 京子は年下じゃないんですか。
Is Mrs./Ms. Kyoko not younger?
3. 夕食を食べないのですか。
Are you not going to have dinner?
4. 一人暮らしは寂しくないですか。
Isn’t living by oneself lonely?
5. その事実は悲しくないですか。
Is that fact not sad?
6. この車は新しくないですか。
Isn’t this car new?
The use of の・ん provides emphasis on the question element and adds weight to the overall statement. When you are asking about intention and you do not use の・ん, then your question sounds more like a solicitation because you are in effect telling the person that you’re pretty certain that he/she is doing so.
7. パーティに行かないんですか。
Are you not going to the party?
8. コンサートに行かないですか。
Why not go to the concert?
Particle Note: In the example sentences here, the particle に is used to mark where at one is going.
の・ん does not simply add doubt to a question, but it also demonstrates the speaker’s interest/concern towards the answer. This is also true when ～の・んですか is used with the affirmative.
9. 彼氏は行くんですか。
Will your boyfriend go?
10. 醤油を使うんですか。
Will you be using soy sauce?
11. 毎日祈るんですか。
Do you pray every day?
The Japanese “Yes” & “No”
「はい」か「いいえ」、どっち？
The basis as to whether you say “no” to a negative questions is whether you agree with the statement or not. If you agree, the response is はい. If you disagree, the response is いいえ.
12a. 「そう思わないですか？」「いえ1、そう思いません。」
“Don’t you think so?” “No, I don’t think so.”
The difference between “don’t you think?” and “do you not think” is important. The former suggests agreement from the listener even though a negative structure is used, whereas the latter phrase could either be a less direct way of going about that same means or more literally ask whether someone does in fact not think so.
12b. 「そう思わないんですか？」「はい、思いませんね。」
“Do you not think so?” “No, I don’t.”
In English, the use of “no” in a response may be because the speaker is emphasizing their disapproval, but in the Japanese mind, affirming the validity of the statement is more important. If you do not approve, you should say, “Yes, I’m not for that.”
13. 「動物が好きじゃないのですか？」「はい、好きじゃありません。」
“Do you not like any animals?” “Right/No, I don’t like them.”
Even if “no” can still throw you from making the right word choice in Japanese, by rethinking your response with “right” instead, you can guide yourself to correctly choosing はい.
～ませんか
At least for verbs, ～ませんか is the more polite/formal way of saying ～ないですか. This means that it can also create “don’t you…” questions.
12c. 「そう思いませんか？」「いいえ、そう思いません。」
“Don’t you think so?” “No, I don’t think so.”
When used with action verbs, however, it is most often used to politely invite someone to do something.
14. パイナップルを漬けませんか。
Why not pickle pineapple?
15. ちょっと遊びませんか。
Why not have some fun?
16. 海で泳ぎませんか。
Why not swim in the ocean?
17. タバコをやめませんか。
How about quitting smoking?
18. 糖質を減らしませんか。
How about decreasing carbohydrates?
19．知りませんか。
Do you happen to know?
～ない（か）？
In plain speech, you can solicit someone with ない（か）. The use of か indicates that you are very familiar with the speaker, but it also has a masculine tone to it2. If the listener is neither equal nor lower in status than oneself, the invite could be taken badly for using the wrong speech register.
20. 折り紙を作らないか？
Why not make some origami?
21. 一緒に飲まない？
How about we drink together?
22. いい加減にしないか。3(Idiom)
Can’t you give me a break?
23. キャンディー、食べない？
Why not eat some candy?
Particle Note: This sentence shows how the particle を can be dropped in casual conversation.
～ないのか
～ないのか is used in plain speech to seriously and/or harshly ask a question about whether something is not so. This is used frequently especially when emotions are flaring, as depending on the tone, it can also sound sarcastic or rhetorical. Thus, caution is needed when using it.
24. 見ないのか。
You’re not going to watch!?
25. すぐにやめないのか。
You’re not going to stop immediately!?
26. 昨日、宿題やらなかったのか。
You didn’t do your homework yesterday!?
～ないの？
When the particle か is dropped and you’re left with ～ないの？, the question becomes a lot softer, but you are still seriously asking the question. The same goes for when this is used with the affirmative.
27. ピアノ弾かないの？
You’re not going to/won’t play the piano?
28. 終わらないの？
Is not going to end/are you ever going to finish?
29. 何を選ぶの？
What’ll you choose?
30. 明日行くの？
Are you going tomorrow?
31. ピザを食べたの？
Did you eat pizza?
～（ん）じゃないですか・～んじゃありませんか?
When ～じゃないですか・じゃありませんか follows a verb/adjective/copula, it is used to mean “isn’t it (the case that…)?” The lack of ん indicates greater confidence in one’s statement being right in the first place.
※Contracting では to じゃ and の to ん are aspects of the spoken language, but it doesn’t mean that they will always be contracted like this. A speaker may wish to opt for uncontracted forms to sound more serious. Contracted forms are also typically avoided in the written language.
32. あ、木下さんではないですか。
My, if it isn’t Mr./M(r)s. Kinoshita!
33. 明日買うじゃない？
Aren’t you buying it tomorrow?
As is the case in Ex. 32, calling it a question may be a bit of stretch. Rather, calling it an emphatic way of stating what you feel to be the obvious is more fitting. If it is meant to be understood more as a question like in Ex. 33, the intonation will also match this when spoken.
When の・ん gets added, though, you are seeking affirmation from the listener as well as showing a certain degree of uncertainty that you want to have cleared up. When used with nouns in a non-past sentence, be sure to insert the attributive form な of the copula in between.
34. この洋服、新しいんじゃありませんか。
Aren’t these clothes new, right?
35. いいんじゃないですか4。
Literally: Isn’t it fine?
I don’t see why not.
36. いいんじゃない！5
Might as well!
37. あれはカメな6んじゃないですか？
Isn’t that over there a turtle?
38. 写真がテーマなのではないか。
Isn’t the picture the theme?
The forms taught thus far in this lesson have all been examples of double-negatives. This means that, literally, you are still asking if the negative state is true or not but in a way that makes it sound you already think the statement is true. It is just that you are asking to have that confirmed.
39. おやつ食べないんじゃない？
Aren’t you not going to eat the snacks?
The consequence of dropping の・ん is that with the increased confidence the speaker has with their question, the question is most likely going to be interpreted as calling out the listener/person in question, as the speaker is implying that both sides knows the answer to the dilemma.
40. 何もやらないじゃない？
(He/she) won’t do anything, you know?
Confusingly, you could also see the particle の in casual speech tacked at the end a negative question, even when there is a preceding の in the double-negative question construct. The reason for this is to use の as a final particle7 with the purpose of adding a final hook to the seriousness of the question.
41. さっき買ったんじゃない（の）？
Didn’t you buy (that) just now?
Lastly, also in casual speech, the entire phrase ～じゃないか can be simplified to ～じゃん（か）. This is rather dialectal8, being representative of Eastern Japanese dialects including Tokyo Dialect. Without the particle か, ～じゃん is hardly heard as a real question but as a means of the speaker making an affirmative statement with a tone softener.
For the examples shown below, this concept of tone softener is reflected in how the English is rendered. Rather than trying to mechanically view ～じゃん as just “isn’t it?” its casual yet rather affirmative tone is captured more naturally by how English would go about wording statements in that manner.
42. いいじゃん！
That’s awesome!/Fine with me!
43. 行くんじゃんか。
Weren’t you going (if I’m right)?
44. あれはタヌキじゃん！
Well is that not a tanuki (if I did see one)!
- いいえ may also be rendered as いえ, which is more common in the spoken language. For more information, see this lesson. ↩︎
- Female speakers tend to avoid coarser speech patterns. In this scenario, a female speaker is more likely to not use か at all. ↩︎
- 加減 literally means “degree/extent,” and the set phrase いい加減にする indicates “quitting something one has been engaged in too long or too excessively.” ↩︎
- This sentence has a very carefree tone to it, and much like the English equivalent, it is rather rhetorical. ↩︎
- The casual iteration of Ex. 35, this sentence is entirely rhetorical and accompanied with a positive, affirming tone. ↩︎
- As カメ (turtle) is a noun, the clause that contains it must end with the attributive form, which produces [あれはカメな], which is then followed by の・ん, effectively nominalizing the clause. ↩︎
- Final particles, with か and じゃん also being examples, are tone/emotion adjusters, with each having its own flare. ↩︎
- In Western Japanese dialects, ～じゃん（か） manifests as ～やん（か）. ↩︎